The holistic worldbuilding ofSystem Shock.

The playful interactivity ofDuke Nukem 3D.

The crisp set-piece design of Half-Life.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing the player showing a rifleman with twin submachineguns in a tiled room.

Selaco blends them all into a smooth, unctuous action experience.

From here, two things quickly become clear about Selaco.

The first is that its combat isferocious.

Cover image for YouTube video

Explosive weapons can rip whole chunks out of the level, leaving ragged, rebar-riddled holes in the geometry.

It stretches credulity that Selaco is built in GZDoom (a third-party sourceport of Doom’s original engine).

One of the main ideas Selaco draws from F.E.A.R is enemy AI that tries to out-think you.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing the player shooting a rifleman through a series of open doors.

I don’t know whether Selaco’s enemies are smarter than F.E.A.R’s, but they definitelyfeelnastier.

In Selaco, you’re definitely locked in with them.

Their radio chatter is also more manic and hostile.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing the player shooting a rifleman in a locker room, with purple blood spraying.

You really get the sense these bastards want tomurderyou.

Hence surviving gunfights requires you to think as fast as you move.

Combat, then, is as cerebral as it is satisfying.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing the player shooting a rifleman in a bookshop.

But Selaco also demands brainpower outside of battles.

But where I found Wrath’s levels frequently exhausting, Selaco’s are a joy to explore.

There are several reasons for this.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing an explosion spraying purple alien blood everywhere.

Meanwhile, the game’s story and background is drip-fed to you in concise, humanly written text logs.

Moreover, Selaco places equal emphasis on puzzling as it does on combat.

This includes dozens of secrets and optional areas that constantly tempt you off the beaten path.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing the player touching an electronic wall panel with a keycard to activate it.

Rooting out these hidden areas is a game in itself, and an enormously rewarding one at that.

Selaco’s smartest design decision, however, is how clearly it delineates between combat and exploration.

Combined, these ideas engender deeply satisfying ebb and flow to every level.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing the player fighting enemies in a Burger restaurant.

This isn’t to say the game executes its ideas perfectly.

Two sizes of subtitling are offered.

Violence can be reduced, small weapons can be toggled.

A screenshot of Selaco, showing the player at the end of a street in a futuristic cityscape at night.

Screen blood, dirt and healing effects can be toggled.

Armour breaking can be toggled as can dash effect.

Honestly though, these are my only real complaints.

I genuinely don’t know what Altered Orbit Games could add in future episodes.

But it’s possible for you to bet your last bullet that I’ll be there to find out.